Speaking at Shakti Women’s Aid in Edinburgh, where support workers help young women who experience domestic abuse and provide assistance to those who are being forced into marriage, Ms Sturgeon said: “This is a very important piece of legislation to protect people from being forced into marriages against their will.

“Arranged marriages are established parts of the customs of many faiths in Scotland and where there is consent on both sides that is not an issue.

“This bill is looking to protect people against forced marriages.

“It provides the civil courts with the power to issue Forced Marriage Protection Orders and makes it a criminal offence for anyone to breach one of these orders.”

Courts will tailor sanctions and support to the person’s particular circumstances and existing powers to annul a forced marriage will be reformed to make the process easier.

People at risk or anyone who is worried about someone else’s welfare – including local authorities – can apply for a protection order.

Ms Sturgeon added: “My late colleague Bashir Ahmad, who was the first Muslim MSP in Scotland, first mooted this legislation.

“He was a Muslim and very proud of his religion but believed strongly that forced marriages were completely against the tenants of that religion.

“I am very proud that we are taking this forward in Scotland to give protection to many vulnerable women who can have their lives completely ruined by being forced into a marriage against their will.

“That is something that we just shouldn’t tolerate in a modern society.”

Mridul Wadhwa, information and education officer for Shakti, has met many young women who are fleeing from forced marriages and said this new legislation is a welcome step forward to helping them.

She added: “Many young women who are being forced into marriages or who have been forced into marriages come to Shakti who offer them refuge and any support that they need.

“This new legislation is a very powerful tool for young people.

“Apart from actually using the legislation, the idea that there is something there will go a long way in letting people know that this is wrong.”

But some believe that even though the legislation is a step forward, there is still a lot of work to do.